Shane McConkeymastered everything from racing to skiercross to moguls, and he brought it all together to create his own brand of big mountain skiing. Here are his thoughts on ski-BASEing, newschoolers, and bro-brahing.

On the surface, there was the nose picking on camera, the scatological humor, the pranks, and the endless self-mockery. But Shane McConkey was no lightweight. He revolutionized skiing three times—challenging what we ski, how we ski, and even how we think about skiing. So when cinematographers, ski manufacturers, and skiers wanted to predict the future, they looked to him. After a tragic accident this past spring, skiers came to one conclusion: Skiing Will Never Be The Same.

Freeskier C.R. Johnson, an X Games competitor and pioneer in introducing park-and-pipe skills to the backcountry, died recently at Squaw Valley. We asked his longtime friend and fellow Squaw local Michelle Parker, also a pro freeskier, to write a tribute to C.R. Here's what she wrote. And some photos to celebrate his life.